Les Miles is the reason LSU is winning big games

BATON ROUGE -- The reason LSU remains No. 1, perhaps unanimously in every poll that counts, is because of a coach who is unafraid of any opponent and willing to risk everything to win.

The reason the Tigers have a stranglehold on the SEC, and remain in control of their own national championship destiny, is because of a coach who so far has proved willing to fire every weapon in the arsenal and to take every chance necessary - who, in consecutive conference games, out-ball-coached Ol Ball Coach and pulled a Florida on Florida.

The reason LSU remains on path to play in the Superdome on Jan. 7 is because Les Miles showed Saturday night in Tiger Stadium just how valuable a coach can be, with LSU's 28-24 victory over Florida proving to be as much an ode to his guts and feistiness as to that of his players, who followed their leader across the finish line ahead of the defending national champions.

Five times Saturday night, LSU went for it on fourth down. Five times Saturday night, LSU converted. Two of the conversions directly resulted in touchdowns, on a Ryan Perrilloux run and Matt Flynn pass, and another became the second successful fake field goal in as many attempts. And it, too, led to a touchdown.

The final score tells you how desperately LSU needed those plays, tells you how deep Miles had to reach into his team's resolve and pull out enough of what was left to generate the 14 fourth-quarter points that erased a 24-14 deficit.

Pair that with USC's stunning home loss to Stanford and enough upheaval in the Top 10 to make a storm at sea seem calm, and what's left is an LSU team that remains unblemished, standing as solidly at No. 1 as any team possibly can.

That couldn't be said after last week's brush with Tulane, a team LSU was supposed to annihilate by 42 points but only was able to wax by 25. Warding off Florida, though, is different. Taking out the No. 9 team in the nation, and the defending champs, means a little more.

Sure, there were times Saturday night that the Tigers didn't appear close to being the best team in the SEC, let alone the nation, as an overwhelming majority of 92,910 paying customers did everything short of taking the field in Tigers jerseys to help make it so.

The defending national champions rode a freight train named Tim Tebow to their lead and, mostly, LSU was being run over. But LSU gambled four times on fourth down in the second half, and cashed in every time.

Flynn ran eight yards on fourth-and-5 from Florida's 25-yard line off a fake field goal. Jacob Hester converted on fourth-and-1 from LSU's 49 by running for two yards, and again on fourth-and-1 by running for two yards from Florida's 7. And Flynn flipped a 4-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd on fourth-and-3.

"Our football team is coming together," Miles said. "I enjoy the character of this football team. Down the road, that's what will sustain this team -- character."

That, and the confidence of a coach who won't back down.

You thought that fake field goal the Tigers converted into a touchdown was sweet against South Carolina and Coach Steve Spurrier, who has been known to toss out a trick play or three? Against Florida, the Tigers swapped out Flynn, the starter, and Perrilloux, his backup, much the same way as Gators coach Urban Meyer flipped quarterbacks Chris Leak and Tebow last season. Flynn's touchdown pass even was reminiscent of Tebow's first touchdown pass Saturday night - a threatened run in which he pulled up and tossed a pass to an open teammate in the end zone.

That's what it took to beat Florida. Such theatrics might not be required the rest of the way but, for LSU, it has to be good to know that the goods are there.

"Championship play is really still in front of us," Miles said. "In my opinion we took a great stride in showing character in coming from behind.

"It makes no difference right now who's ranked first. We'll accept that." That, and a huge win, thanks to a coach who's willing to step out and take the risk.

"I think they were waiting for me to bow my neck," Miles said. "They wanted me to make the call."

No need to wait in anticipation any more. We know he's willing.

John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3410.